Posted on 10/22/2007 6:59:21 PM PDT by snugs
The President and the first lady spent Saturday in Maryland visiting a nature reserve and had lunch with the Vice President and his wife - (See Wolfstar's Sunday ediition of the dose which she prepared yesterday but due to FR being down could not post - This becomes my first post on today's edition.
On Sunday the First Lady travelled to the middle east for a 4 day trip to promote breast cancer awareness.
Today the President met with Mongolia's President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, made a Statement on Iraq, presented the Medal of Honor to Maureen and Daniel Murphy, the parents of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy and this evening attended a Republican Governors Association reception at the Decatur House in Washington. On Saturday in addition to entertaining the President for lunch on Saturday on Sunday the Vice President spoke at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Weinberg Founders Conference.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended and spoke at a conference on U.S. and Soviet relations today at the State Department.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Kiev.
Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island
QUOTE OF THE DAY
President Bush Presents Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy
East Room
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, and welcome to the White House. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that a President can bestow. It recognizes gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty in the face of an enemy attack. The tradition of awarding this honor began during the Civil War. And many of those who have received the medal have given their lives in the action that earned it.
Today, we add Lieutenant Michael Murphy's name to the list of recipients who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, this brave officer gave his life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs. Two years later, the story of his sacrifice humbles and inspires all who hear it. And by presenting Michael Murphy's family with the Medal of Honor that he earned, a grateful nation remembers the courage of this proud Navy SEAL
PHOTO OF THE DAY
President George W. Bush stands with Dan and Maureen Murphy, parents of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, after the Navy SEAL was honored posthumously with the Medal of Honor during ceremonies Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, in the East Room of the White House. White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
Hi.
PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: New Zealand officials today released a report indicating that President Bush was among several terrorist targets. As the article below indicates, NZ police apparently discovered the plot against the President, and others, during a recent anti-terrorist sweep.
Bush possible New Zealand terror target: report
Sun Oct 21, 4:54 PM ET
WELLINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush was among the possible targets in threats recorded by New Zealand police who have arrested 17 people in an anti-terrorist sweep, a report said Sunday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and opposition leader John Key were also discussed as potential targets, the Sunday Star-Times said quoting intelligence sources.
Washington is said to have agreed to let New Zealand police handle the investigation, the report said.
Clark and Key have both confirmed they were briefed by police ahead of last week's police raids but would not comment on whether they were possible targets.
Earlier this year Bush and wife Laura were tipped to make a brief visit to New Zealand at the conclusion of a summit of Asia-Pacific nations in Sydney in September.
US Embassy spokeswoman Janine Burns declined to comment on whether any threat to Bush was a factor in his decision not to go to New Zealand.
The police operation, following a 22-month investigation into alleged terrorist training camps, had been treated with widespread scepticism in New Zealand.
However, Police Association president Greg O'Connor said the public should withhold judgment until the full facts of the case emerge.
He said the operation had been "triggered by credible intelligence of a serious threat to New Zealand's safety and security" and was a reality check for people who considered homegrown terrorism to be laughable.
But the Herald on Sunday newspaper said that activist Jamie Lockett, one of the 17 people arrested, claimed incriminating text and phone messages had been deliberately sent to wind up police who had been bugging his phone.
During a bail hearing for Lockett last week, prosecutors said he had sent a series of text messages saying he intended to launch a war.
The messages, intercepted by police, were said to include "White men are going to die in this country" and "I'm declaring war on this country very soon."
During the raids, police seized several weapons, including AK-47s, and other military equipment.
Most of those arrested face firearms charges with police considering whether further charges will be laid under anti-terrorism laws.
Also today, news reports in Japan indicated that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is likely to visit the United States and meet with President Bush on November 16. This meeting, which has not been officially confirmed by either government, is likely to focus on the direction of Japanese legislation related to extending a that country's naval mission supporting US-led troops in Afghanistan, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said, citing several unnamed sources.
The report also indicated that PM Fukuda will reiterate Japan's call on Washington to keep North Korea on the US list of states sponsoring terrorism until progress is seen over kidnapping of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents.
In other international news, President Bush will meet with the leaders of France and Germany a few days apart in early November:
Bush, Sarkozy to visit home of first U.S. presidentWASHINGTON (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy's two-day visit next month with U.S. President George W. Bush will include a formal dinner and a trip to the home of the first U.S. president, the White House said on Friday.
The leaders will go to Mt. Vernon, the mansion just south of the U.S. capital that was home to George Washington for more than 45 years. The venue will conjure the ties between the two countries that date back more than two centuries to France's support for the United States during the Revolutionary War against England.
Bush will also host Sarkozy at an official dinner at the White House during the November 6-7 visit.
Bush's meeting with the French president comes just a few days before he is to host German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his Texas ranch.
The Sarkozy visit was another sign of warming of ties between Washington and Paris since Sarkozy was elected five months ago. By contrast, Bush had a chilly relationship with former French President Jacques Chirac, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war.
Sarkozy has shown a greater willingness than Chirac to put pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, an issue that is sure to come up in the talks between Bush and the French leader.
Sarkozy also visited Bush at his father's oceanfront estate in Kennebunkport, Maine in August, where the two shared an informal lunch.
The White House offered details on Sarkozy's visit a day after his aides announced that the French president and his wife, Cecilia, had divorced after 11 years of marriage.
Although I don't like the headline of the next article, it's a good piece about the President's day yesterday.
President Bush Angles for Conservation Stature
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
ST. MICHAEL'S, Md. -- President Bush spent a crisp fall Saturday gingerly balancing a tiny screeched owl on a gloved hand at a wildlife refuge and casting for rockfish on the Chesapeake Bay.
And for lunch? Famous Maryland style crabcakes, served up at Vice President Dick Cheney's waterside home outside this charming Eastern Shore village.
It was all part of an effort to burnish his conservation credentials while announcing new initiatives that he said would protect migrating birds and two fish species, red drum and striped bass, prized by anglers.
First came some bird-watching at the Patuxent Research Refuge outside Washington, where he peered through a scope at waterfowl and had a closer encounter with a brown-and-white screech owl.
"Cute little fellow," the president said, looking slightly askance at the jittery bird perched on his hand.
Bush, noting that migrating bird populations are threatened by increasing development along their flyover routes, said his administration would award private landowners "credits" they could sell, mainly to federal agencies, to encourage them to set aside "stopover habitats" for more than 800 species of migratory birds.
He said his administration also would give extra tax breaks, if Congress consents, to landowners who donate conservation easements to help migratory birds.
Traveling to Maryland's Eastern Shore, Bush took a private charter for an hour of fishing with Chris and Melissa Fischer, hosts of ESPN's "Offshore Adventures" show. As Bush mimed catching a big fish for the cameras, Melissa Fischer reeled one in from the bay's choppy waters.
Bush said an order he signed would direct the Commerce and Interior departments to further build up stocks of striped bass and red drum, by working with state and local officials to prohibit sales of the fish caught up to 200 nautical miles out in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
"We've got to make sure we've got enough to catch as well as enough to eat, and we can do both in a smart way," Bush said outside the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
Larry Simns, president of the Maryland Watermen's Association, said the initiative wasn't needed for striped bass because they are one of the healthiest stocks of any fish on the East Coast.
"Striped bass are not in any way, shape or form, in trouble," said Simns.
Bush's order could put recreational anglers ahead of commercial fishing interests. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md., described the initiative as an important measure in protecting ocean ecology.
"I think we can bridge the gap between commercial and recreational fishing, restoring the nation's fisheries and ending overfishing," Gilchrest said.
Bush encouraged both sides to look at the big picture, and at the $40 billion spent each year in the U.S. on sports fishing.
"The commercial fishermen and the sport fishermen don't have to be antagonistic. It's not a zero-sum game," he said. "Good policy will help our commercial fishermen and good policy will help our sport fishermen."
Bush ended his remarks with a jab at his lunch host.
"I love to fish. And the good news there's a lot of good fishing here is because the Secret Service won't let me go hunting with him," the president said in a lighthearted reference to Cheney's accidental shooting of a companion while quail hunting last year.
PHOTO OF THE DAY: - SUNDAY President Bush enjoys a visit with an Eastern screech owl, a bird that is much cuter and -- despite its name -- less screechy than the variety that inhabits the United States Capitol.
The First Lady also enjoyed her visit with the little bird.
With Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne at Patuxent.
President Bush is seen fishing Saturday off the coast of St. Michaels, Md., in the Chesapeake Bay. He was being interviewed by Chris and Melissa Fischer, hosts of ESPN's Offshore Adventures. The President Bush talked about his love of the outdoors, and his signing of an Executive Order earlier in the day to protect striped bass and red drum fish species. Keep an eye out on your local TV listings for when this episode will air (often early Saturday mornings).
President Bush is shown a fish by Chris Fischer, caught by his wife, Melissa.
The President signs an Executive Order to protect the striped bass and red drum fish populations. This event occurred at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. He was joined by, from left, Michael Nussman, president of American Sportfishing Association; Brad Burns, president of Stripers Forever; David Pfeifer, president of Shimano America Corp.; Walter Fondren, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez; U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland and U.S. Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
GWB speaking to attendees prior to signing the EO.
Returning to the WH after the day trip to Maryland.
President Bush walks with American Bird Conservancy President George Fenwick (R), before he makes a statement on migratory bird conservation at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland.
GWB looks through a bird-watching scope with Refuge Manager Brad Knudsen.
President Bush points to Melissa Fischer, of ESPN, right, as he fishes in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, off the shore of St. Michaels, Md., as husband Chris Fischer, left, watches. Mrs. Fischer caught the big fish shown in the photo posted earlier on the thread. The President is trying to encourage more recreational fishing in state waters and adding more federal rules limiting commercial fishing of two overfished species, striped bass and red drum. The Fischer's host 'Offshore Adventures' on ESPN.
Veterinarian Glenn Olsen holds a screech owl while talking to President Bush. These little birds -- and, indeed, all species of owl -- are invaluable in helping to control rodent populations in suburban and rural areas.
GWB gets a thumbs-up from American Bird Conservancy President George Fenwick.
When he left the WH yesterday morning for the trip to Maryland, the President was wearing a tie that is an unusual color and pattern for him. He normally favors solid, more conservative colors.
Hi
What wonderful photos. Thanks a bunch.
President Bush, right, meets with the Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007.
President Bush, left, and Mongolia's President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, right, appear in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, prior to signing the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact.
Mongolia's President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, left, looks on as President Bush signs the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct., 22, 2007.
President Bush, right, returns the pen as the President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar, left, still uses his during the signing of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007,during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.
President Bush, right, shakes hands with Mongolia's President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, left, after signing of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct., 22, 2007.
Good evening, Snugs! That is a great, if heartrending, Photo of the Day. God rest the soul of that brave fallen warrior.
Thanks for all you do to provide the sanity in Sanity Island!
President Bush, center, makes a statement about the Iraq War Supplemental, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, in the Roosevelt Room in the White House in Washington. Behind the president are members of veterans service organizations, a fallen Marine's family and personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
President Bush, right, stands with Daniel and Maureen Murphy, the parents of Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y., Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
President Bush bows his head in prayer during a ceremony honoring Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y. with the Medal of Honor posthumously, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Murphy was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2005.
President Bush bows while delivering remarks during a ceremony honoring Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y. with the Medal of Honor posthumously, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, during a cermeony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Murphy was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2005
President George W. Bush (R) presents the Medal of Honor to Maureen and Daniel Murphy, the parents of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, October 22, 2007. Murphy received the medal posthumously for his action in combat while leading a special reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines in Afghanistan.
Wow .. what a HUGE Dose. Thank you SO much. I love W
in those colors yesterday. Looks so sporty and nice on him.
When you say Wolfstar’s Sunday Dose, I could not
find one .. did I miss it .. I’ve checked all over?
Such an incredible hero, Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy and
his band of brothers. God bless their families and all
who so valiantly serve. We can never repay them.
President Bush, right, shakes hands with Daniel Murphy, the father of Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y. with Lt. Murphy's mother Maureen at center, during a Medal of Honor ceremony, for combat in Afghanistan, Monday, oct. 22, 2007, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
President Bush, right, escorts Maureen Murphy, center, mother of Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy, after presenting the Medal of Honor, posthumously honoring her son for combat in Afghanistan, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. Following behind them is Murphy's father Daniel Murphy, left.
President George W. Bush (L) walks with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin to attend a Republican Governors Association reception at the Decatur House in Washington October 22, 2007
President George W. Bush waves as walks on Pennsylvania Avenue to The White House in Washington after attending a Republican Governors Association reception October 22, 2007
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
